Card table



7 1934- A. E; ANDERSON 1,970,876

CARD TABLE Filed.April l, 1933 lNVENTaR. H EflWcYerson B Patented Aug. 21, 1934 Q, 'QARD'TABLEQQ 1 H "August Eugene Anderson, lvl h nm J. r i Application April 1, 1933, swam, 4

:7 Claim (crisis-racy My invention relates to a card table, more'particularly to a table where round chips are used, as in sundrypard games.

One object of my invention is to construct the table in such manner that all doubts and argument in the game while playing are eliminated.

.This-I accomplish with my novel arrangement of placing the round chips in slanting radial channels or slots, as is clearly shown in the drawing. In this novel manner each player has his own chips in an orderly manner before'him, and in plain view to all players. 1

Another object is that by having the chips dropped in centerwards-slanting slots or chambers, the winner can save-time and confusion by pressing a button on the container whereby the chips will all drop into the container and eliminate the common known fact of having cards and chips all mixed up together.

A third object of my invention consists in having the chip slots or channels numbered, thus registering the total number of chips placed in each channel and thereby showing the number of chips each player has put in the game, and also how many chips necessary for each player to stay in the game. It is a well known fact that where the chips are placed on top of an ordinary card table, it is sometimes confusing how many chips each player has to put up. With my novel arrangement of having the slots or channels numbered, this difficulty is not only eliminated but also considerable time saved and argument avoided. Also the color of the chips can be seen by all players, denoting different value in points or otherwise, so that by the novel arrangement of the chips in the slots, the players can tell (without any doubt) if each player has put up the right color chips.

I am well aware of the fact that other arrangements for registering chips may be made, but the part that I claim to be of importance is that the slanting slots, causing the chips to roll towards the container by gravity, is of great importance in that it keeps the chipsin order as well as saving time to clear the table of the Winners chips.

In the accompanying drawing the invention is shown in its preferred form and:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card table;

Fig. 2, a vertical'cross section of the table in its preferred form;

Fig. 3, a similar, fragmentary view of a modifled form;

Fig. 4, a top plan view of a detail;

Fig. 5, a cross section at 5-5 of Fig. 4, and,

Fig. 6-, a" fragmentary, vertical section of the pot for the center of the table.

' In thesundry figures', the same parts are denoted by the same reference characters.

Numeral 10 indicates the table top standing on legs 11 hinged at 12 and clamped by wing nuts'13, 7

thus making the table portable when the legsare folded under it in the usual manner.

In the center of the top is provided a prefer ably circular aperture or opening '14 beneath which I-mayfurnish a pocket 1-5 for collecting chips that may inadvertently pass through the said aperture when standing open.

From said aperture runradial slots or channels 16- preferably provided in pairs and divided by a middle partition 17,'the edges of the slots or channels carrying numbers as at 18 spaced apart the same distance as the diameter of the chips, in order to enable any of the players to read off. di rectly the number of chips deposited in each channel. The" bottom1l9 of 'each channel-slants downwardly in the directionof said central aperture 14 into which they open, and the depth of the channels is such that the top edge of each chip, except the innermost one, extends above the surface of the table top, so that the players can at each moment see not only the number but also the color of the chips in the channels.

Around the edge of the central aperture 14 is shown a reinforcing ring 21 and upon the same a disk 22 rests forming a part of the pot. The

latter comprises a cylindrical cup 23, which. is suspended by a rod 24 from said disk 22 in such a manner, that the side wall of the cup reaches above the bottom 19 of the channels thereby normally providing a partial closure of the channels or an obstruction for the chips as seen in Fi 2.

The rod 24 is held yieldingly in the disk 22 by a spring 25 compressed between the bottom of a recess 26 in the disk and a button 27 in which the rod 24 is rigidly secured by a screw 28.

In order now to release the chips 29 from the grooves or channels 16, a slight pressure is applied on the button 27, which causes the cup to descend deeper into the table, so that the chips are free to roll into the cup, actuated by gravity, and collect from all the channels in the cup 23. The latter is now lifted out bodily by the winner from the aperture 14 in the table top and emptied and thereupon again placed in position ready for the next game.

Along the edge of the table top 10 are furnished elongated shallow trays or recesses 32 one for each player and having a width corresponding tothe diameter of the chips 29 and long enough to store a set of chips required by the player. Preferably the trays are provided with transverse partitions 33 dividing the tray in so many compartments as the different colors of the chips. At the beginning of the game each tray is filled with a full set of chips. I

' The modification shown in Fig. 3 has a different pot construction in which the cup 34, instead of being suspended from a disk. is supported on springs .31 in a shallow pan 30, so that the top edge of the cup again forms obstruction for the chips in the channels 16. As before the cup 34 can be depressed to release the chips 29 to collect them, by a slight pressure on the button 27 at the upper end of the rod 24 whichis'fastened in the bottom of the cup. It will be seen that the distance between the edge of thecup and the reinforcement ring 21 is less than the diameter of the chips 29 so that when the cup is in its raised normal position, they cannot slip over the edge of the cup.

It should be noted that the width of the chan nels 16 is made to correspond to the thickness of the chips used.

I claim: Y

1. In a card table for games. using circular chips as markers, comprising a table-top having a central opening, a pot in the center opening, open ended radial channels from said center opening, each channel having a downwardly inclined bottom with its greatest depth adjacent the opening and said pot normally forming a closure for the open ends'of the channels.

2. In a card table as described in claim 1, a

partition dividing said channels into longitudinal passages adapted to receive chips in upright position so as to partly expose the edge of each p.w j' a 3. In a card table as described in claim 1, means in said pot forming a removable obstruction at the open end of each channel.

4. In a card table as described in claim 1, said pot comprising a cup, the side wall of which constitutes said closure for the open ends of the channels.

5. In a card table as described in claim 1, said pot comprising a cup, the side wall of which constitutes said closure for the open ends of the channels, a disk resting on said table-top and. means for yieldingly suspending the cup in normal position from said disk, whereby upon manipulating said means, the cup becomes depressed below the bottoms of the channels in order to remove said closure, thus permitting all chips deposited in the channels to travel centerwards, urged by gravity and collect in said cup.

6. A pot for collecting circular chips used as markers in a game and deposited in inclined channels radiating from an opening in a tabletop; said pot comprising a cup, a disk adapted to cover said opening, a rod fixed in the bottom of said cup and extending upwardly through the disk, abutton on the upper end of said rod, and yielding means between the button and the disk, whereby said cup is normally held raised in said opening to prevent the chips from rolling into the cup but permitting the chips to be released to collect in the cup upon depressing the cup by pushing down said button.

7. A pot for collecting circular chips used as markers in a game and deposited in visible position in channels upwardly inclined from an opening in a table-top, said pot comprising a cup, a yielding support for normally holding said cup in raised position in said opening and to close the lower ends of said channels in order to prevent the chips from rolling into the cup, and means for manipulating said support to open the ends of the channels and-permit the chips to collect in the cup.

' AUGUST EUGENE ANDERSON. 

